When I arrived in Hong Kong (1953) on my National Service during the Korean War, I soon set about trying to meet Chinese people. I wanted to follow up my reading of Buddhism carried out during the several weeks' voyage on the troop ship from Southampton. Through contacts with the HK university I met Professor Ma Meng who introduced me to a Mr Yen Shi liang, a Buddhist merchant with an embroidery shop in downtown Victoria Island. Mr Yen had come back to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland following the communist take - over. He had been a close disciple of the great Chinese master Hsu-yun - indeed a first generation descendant of this great teacher. It was not till years later that I realised how significant that was.
Yen Shi liang was an inspiring teacher and, following my first visits to monasteries on LanTao Island, I soon began a serious engagement with Zen. In my book "Hilltops of the Hong Kong Moon" I describe my meetings with this fine teacher and our conversations together. I was 23 at the time, a young Radar officer, later RHQ Troop Commander at Stanley Fort.
Recently Jackson Peterson, an American Zen teacher, who had come across these writings and wanted to know more, contacted me. After correspondence, he has been kind enough to write of his own experiences with our mutual teacher who, by the time Jackson was in Hong Kong, had become a monk and Chan master under the name Yen Wai Fa Shih. Here is Jackson's account of the legacy that is our joint inheritance. John Crook.
Jackson writes:
I began my practice of Dharma in the Soto Zen tradition for over 3 years in 1966 under Matsuoka Roshi, when I was sixteen. I then spent time at the Bush St. Zendo in San Francisco with Suzuki Roshi in 1968 and received dokusan from him and Katagiri Roshi (sensei at that time).
I also studied with many other teachers during that time. The most significant was my Chan master, Yen Wai Shih who was living in Shatin, Hong Kong. In 1978 I pursued him in attempting to penetrate the definitive meaning of "wu", which he taught from the "sudden approach" school following his teacher Hsu Yun. I travelled twice to Hong Kong to study with him. I also did a short Chan retreat while under his instruction. When I left, he gave me his original incense stick, his 'kyasaku'. He also gave me his copy of the Platform Sutra, and asked me to teach Chan to an acquaintance of his in the U.S.
The Way of Wu
From Victoria Island I took a ferry to the New Territories and found my way to Shatin, the location of Yen Wai Shih's temple and monastery complex. Yen Wai was an 84 year old Master of Zen Buddhism, the head of three separate temples in southern China. He greeted me in the village and we walked up into the lush foothills of Shatin. We saw several older villagers in a lower temple room busily chanting randomly and lighting incense sticks in great abundance.... the fragrance was intoxicating. Thinking this was a Zen Temple, where monks usually just sit quietly in meditation, I didn't understand what all this other stuff going on was all about. Hoping not to offend my teacher or confess my ignorance prematurely, I yet took the risk to ask him what those people were doing. In response he said "God only knows....." and we both had a good laugh! The image this venerable 84 year old Zen Master offered in his simple yet functional Zen monk's robe was in startling contrast to his off-handed comment about his own disciples.... it was completely disarming --- our first point of human contact --- heart to heart.
We continued walking upwards, the steps continuing to ascend to higher and higher temple grounds and buildings. We finally came to a house where Yen Wai resided. I was introduced to his granddaughter and family. I was amazed at the sense of reverence they had for this elderly patriarch of the family. You could tell they knew he was more than just a nice and kindly grandfather and knew intuitively his value to all those who be fortunate enough to have contact with him. And now it was my turn to try to understand what they already knew.
We talked about many things concerning the Dharma and how one could come to understand the true meaning of Enlightenment. I told him that above all other things, I wanted to understand and experience my Buddha-Nature first hand. I shared with him many of my intellectual thoughts about the true meaning of practice and the enlightened state of mind. He was quite amazing in his command of the English language. He spoke with a deep bass tone and flawless British accent. Actually, in his earlier years, he had studied and fallen in love with the writings of Shakespeare. He insisted Shakespeare was an enlightened being. More amazing was the fact that when I asked him about points of the Zen teachings, he would often quote phrases from Shakespeare to make himself clear! For me, this whole scene took place in an almost, no, not almost but actual, surreal space somewhere between ancient China and Medieval England.--- truly unsettling!
We continued walking the grounds and eventually arrived at the monastery of his disciples, men and women in different sections. Most of the Buddhist nuns were already well beyond middle age. They were nothing less than wonderful in expressing their very warm greetings to us both --- but they had something very special to offer us --- a stew of freshly picked and stirfried giant shiitake-like black mushrooms. To this day, I can't think of a single meal I have ever enjoyed more --- so simple, yet so delicate in the array of subtle flavors. --- as though I was eating the essence of the entire mist enshrouded forest from which these mushrooms were gathered. I knew also, from observing the demeanor of these elderly women, that each mushroom was savored at the picking as being a precious offering of the forest itself, an offering yielding nutrition and 'chi' to restore the vitality of these self-less servants of the Way.
We finally arrived at our destination, a residence that housed some of the senior monks and guests. We went upstairs to Yen Wai's study, where we were greeted with tea and biscuits. The tea was a bit strong for my tastes, but certainly set the sober mood.
Now was my chance to ask more of my burning questions... the ones that I was leading up to yet approaching obliquely so as not to expose my shallow knowledge all at once. Perhaps I had a fear that if I appeared as too much of a novice he might reserve the best of his enlightening morsels of wisdom for a later time, when I would have ripened more. Ripening more, for me, was just twisting longer in torment on the vine of my own unenlightenment --- a state I already knew all too well. Well, hell.... that was why I took all the trouble getting this far wasn't it? Let's not fall now, I thought, clearly aware that I was free-climbing without any ropes or safety equipment on the face of a totally unpredictable mountain that could be my final salvation if scaled adroitly or be my demise, if not in actuality then at least in spirit. Who else could I visit and interview about the ultimate meaning of the Buddha's teaching? My short list of candidates was dwindling --- after all I was interested in the shortest path to enlightenment, the teachings of the "Sudden School of Enlightenment" of the 6th Patriarch. These teachings were renowned as being the source of instruction that brought the greatest flowering of Chan/Zen Masters of all time! If not Yen Wai Shih, an actual master of this lineage, then who?
At any event, we sat drinking tea discussing the true meaning of Wu, the Clear Void of Awareness, the true nature of one's own Perfect Buddha Mind. Wu has a particular meaning in Chinese; it's a way of asking about one's innate Buddha Nature or our original unborn and perfect Awareness. From his precise and direct explanations I thought I finally grasped the true essence of the teaching. Proud of my realization I asked him this question: "So, master, I understand... the purpose of practice is to just "simplify" ones thinking completely.... isn't that it?" I waited, expecting his nod of approval and confirmation of my understanding. Instantly, like a Master Samurai drawing his katana and striking a singular killing blow, lurched toward me with the authority of a granite mountain and said "You have already made "It" hopelessly complex!!!" My mind went completely BLANK, EMPTY....WU There it was....HA!!! We looked at each other, his eyes locked on mine... no movement and suddenly as though Mt. Fuji was erupting, we both exploded in laughter... I couldn't stop laughing.... I stood up and danced around in hysterical laughing.... I said "I see... I see.... yes, to simplify is hopelessly commplex.....ha, ha, ha...." laughing for a good five minutes at least! He smiled broadly, his eyes filled with mirth as we both recognized that his skillful and thoroughly spontaneous blow cut through to the marrow and divided the space of my mind into Wu!
That's how I came to know the Way, as taught by the "Sudden Enlightenment School of the 6th Patriarch of Chan (Zen)", the illustrious and profoundly compassionate Huineng (born in the 600's A.D.)
